Top 1138 Quotes & Sayings by Gautama Buddha

To stop suffering, stop greediness. Greediness is a source of suffering.

The tongue like a sharp knife ... Kills without drawing blood.

When you like a flower, you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily.

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind.

Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy.

To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.

No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this, we become free.

Why cling to the pain and the wrongs of yesterday? Why hold on to the very things that keep you from hope and love.

If you cannot find a good companion to walk with, walk alone, like an elephant roaming the jungle. It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress.

Believe nothing because it is written in books. Believe nothing because wise men say it is so. Believe nothing because it is religious doctrine. Believe it only because you yourself know it to be true.

If we fail to look after others when they need help, who will look after us?

Nirvana is this moment seen directly. There is no where else than here. The only gate is now. The only doorway is your own body and mind. There’s nowhere to go. There’s nothing else to be. There’s no destination. It’s not something to aim for in the afterlife. It’s simply the quality of this moment.

When wishes are few, the heart is happy. When craving ends, there is peace.

Since everything is a reflection of our minds, everything can be changed by our minds.

Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else

Those who are truly wise will remain unmoved by feelings of happiness and suffering, fame and disgrace, praise and blame, gain and loss.They will remain calm like the eye of a hurricane.

Do not be the judge of people; do not make assumptions about others. A person is destroyed by holding judgments about others.

Conquer anger by love, evil by good; Conquer the miser with liberality, and the liar with truth.

Do not give your attention to what others do or fail to do; give it to what you do or fail to do.

Don't keep searching for the truth, just let go of your opinions.

The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings.

Rely on the teaching, not on the person; Rely on the meaning, not on the words; Rely on the definitive meaning, not on the provisional; Rely on your wisdom mind, not on your ordinary mind.

The way to happiness is: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, give much. Fill your life with love. Do as you would be done by.

Change is never painful, only the resistance to change is painful

Don't pray for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs.

The greatest impurity is ignorance. Free yourself from it. Be pure.

Treat others with respect. How you treat others will be how they treat you.

Nothing is forever except change.

The world is a looking glass. It gives back to every man a true reflection of his own thoughts. Rule your mind or it will rule you.

Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. The past no longer is. The future has not yet come. Looking deeply at life as it is. In the very here and now, the practitioner dwells in stability and freedom. We must be diligent today. To wait until tomorrow is too late. Death comes unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it? The sage calls a person who knows how to dwell in mindfulness night and day, 'one who knows the better way to live alone.'

Forgive and be free. Forget that you have forgiven and be freer.

Do not speak - unless it improves on silence.

You can search the world over and you will find no one who is more deserving of your kindness and well wishing than you yourself.

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.

Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it

You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love & affection.

Let us live in joy, never falling sick like those who hate us. Let us live in freedom, without hatred even among those who hate.

It is wrong to think that misfortunes come from the east or from the west; they originate within one's own mind.

You are far from the end of your journey. The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. See how you love.

When you move your focus from competition to contribution life becomes a celebration. Never try to defeat people, just win their hearts.

A tree is a wonderful living organism which gives shelter, food, warmth and protection to all living things. It even gives shade to those who wield an axe to cut it down

Pain is certain, suffering is optional.

Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel. Do not overlook negative actions merely because they are small; however small a spark may be, it can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain.

Your mind is a powerful thing. When you filter it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change.

One moment can change a day, One day can change a life and One life can change the world

Sometimes it's better to be kind than to be right. We do not need an intelligent mind that speaks, but a patient heart that listens. You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger

Know well what holds you back, and what moves you forward

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create disticntions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.

He who is grateful doesn't suffer.

If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path.

Only those who go where few have gone can see what few have seen.

If you let cloudy water settle, it will become clear. If you let your upset mind settle, your course will also become clear.

Life can only take place in the present moment. If we lose the present moment, we lose life.

No one can escape death and unhappiness. If people expect only happiness in life, they will be disappointed.

Love in the past is only a memory. Love in the future is only a fantasy. True love lives in the here and now.

If a man's mind becomes pure, his surroundings will also become pure.

Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.

A person is not learned nor wise because he talks much; the person who is patient, free from hatred and fear, that person is called learned and wise.

Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.

Everything that happens to us is the result of what we ourselves have thought, said, or done.We alone are responsible for our lives.